Diver&#39;s buoyancy control device with passive dynamic weight system

ABSTRACT

The weights in a buoyancy compensating device are placed in a pouch or pocket immediately beneath the air cell. The pocket is essentially a non-air holding extension of the buoyancy bag. In this manner, the center of gravity is now moved back, more directly in line with the center of the buoyancy bag. The buoyant forces act to directly counter the forces of the ballast weights. The improved device is more balanced in the water, very comfortable and requires less energy to maintain a diver&#39;s selected orientation in the water. The weight holding pockets can be constructed with varying degrees of stiffness relative to the air cell. The weights react to gravity and shift forward or back a few degrees depending upon whether the diver is on his back or on his stomach. The center of gravity shifts to be more in harmony with the diver&#39;s desired attitude.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to buoyancy compensating devices (buoyancy compensating devices) that help divers achieve positive, neutral or negative buoyancy as needed.

2. Background Art

It is desired to have a buoyancy compensating device that allows a diver to easily maintain his desired three-dimensional position under the water or on the surface. This ability is greatly affected by the design of the buoyancy compensating device and the placement of air cells with respect to the ballast weights. Many buoyancy compensating devices have used various air cell configurations and ballast locations in an attempt to achieve this.

Buoyancy compensating devices with integrated weight carrying pockets are commonplace now. Integrated means the weights are contained or attached to the buoyancy compensating device as opposed to the diver wearing a separate belt containing weights around the waist. Attaching the weights to the buoyancy compensating device helps distribute the load from the ballast weights over both the divers' waist and shoulders instead of the weight being supported by the diver's back at the waist. It is typically a more comfortable configuration.

One problem with most of the integrated weight systems is the balance problems they create for the diver due to placement of the weights. They are usually mounted on a waistband forward near the hips. If one envisions a diver in the upright position, the air cell portion of the buoyancy compensating device is typically located behind the diver's center of gravity with the weights in front of it. The buoyant forces of the air in the buoyancy compensating device work against the gravitational forces of the ballast weights. If the ballast weights are off centerline of the buoyancy compensating device air cell, a torque force is created that can be contrary to the diver's desired position in the water. As a result, if the diver is resting on the surface, the tendency of the common buoyancy compensating device is to push the diver into a face down attitude when he is trying to maintain an upright, vertical position. The diver experiences discomfort and wastes energy trying to counteract the torque forces created by the buoyancy compensating device. There is also a safety issue if the diver is in some distressed or unconscious state in which he cannot overcome the tendency of the buoyancy compensating device to favor the face-down attitude. Similarly, if the diver wishes to rest on his back in a face-up position, the same weight placement may tend to roll him over on his side or in a face-down position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention, the weights in a buoyancy compensating device are placed in a pouch or pocket immediately beneath the air cell. The pocket is essentially a non-air holding extension of the buoyancy bag. In this manner, the center of gravity is now moved back, more directly in line with the center of the buoyancy bag. The buoyant forces act to directly counter the forces of the ballast weights. The improved device is more balanced in the water, very comfortable and requires less energy to maintain a diver's selected orientation in the water.

The weight holding pockets can be constructed with varying degrees of stiffness relative to the air cell. The weights react to gravity and shift forward or back a few degrees depending upon whether the diver is on his back or on his stomach. The center of gravity shifts to be more in harmony with the diver's desired attitude. For example; floating or resting vertically on the surface, the diver wants to remain that way without extra effort to stay face down or face up. The weights hang directly below the air cell at equilibrium (FIG. 7). There is no tendency of the buoyancy compensating device to reposition the diver face-down or face-up. If the diver changes to a swimming or resting position on his back, the weights will react to gravity and shift away from his back and towards the tank. This shifts the center of gravity to favor a face-up attitude. Conversely, if he wants to swim face down, the weights shift slightly forward toward his waist to help maintain the face-down position. The present invention is therefore properly characterized as a dynamic weight positioning system that is passive with response to gravity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aforementioned objects and advantages of the present invention, as well as additional objects and advantages thereof, will be more fully understood herein after as a result of a detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front three-dimensional view of a buoyancy compensating device including an air cell, weight pouch and scuba tank;

FIG. 2 is a rear three-dimensional view of the buoyancy compensating device and tank of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, but with additional weight pockets shown;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a diver near the water surface shown face down and on his stomach;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a diver near the water surface shown face up and on his back;

FIG. 6 is a weight position schematic of a diver on his stomach as in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a weight position schematic of a diver on his back as in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 8 shows rear and side views of the buoyancy compensating device hereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1 through 3 show one embodiment of the inventive buoyancy compensating device 10. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an air cell 12 and a pouch 14 for ballast weights 16 situated beneath it. FIG. 2 shows the back side of the buoyancy compensating device 10. Other typical components of the buoyancy compensating device shown are the shoulder straps/harness 18; waist strap 20, inflator hose 22 and band assembly 24 for holding the scuba tank 15. The weight in its pocket is restrained in one direction and free to move back and forth along the hips of the diver in response to gravity, the amount of movement and resistance to movement being controlled by the design and selection of the materials of the buoyancy compensating device. The weight pocket may be designed so the weights can be easily jettisoned or fixed in place as a permanent ballast. Additional weight pockets 26 (FIG. 3) can be added to provide a variety of ballast locations for precise trim and these may also be either of the permanent type or of the type that can be jettisoned using release devices 28.

The relative movement of the weights 16 is illustrated best in FIGS. 4 through 7. As shown therein, weights 16 are affixed to the lower end of the air cell 12 and can move only with the lower end of the air cell along the diver's hips from back to front and visa versa. FIG. 4 illustrates the forward motion of the weights toward the front of the diver while he maintains a stomach down orientation. FIG. 5 shows the rearward motion of the weights toward the rear of the diver while he maintains a back down position. These two opposing positions are demonstrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively by weight position schematics which illustrate the gravity-induced position of the weights relative to the diver and the air tank for stomach down and back down positions, respectively. As seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the diver is on his stomach, the weights are located more toward the diver than the tank. When the diver is on his back, the weights are located more toward the tank than the diver. The actual extent of movement will depend on the geometry of the air cell and weight pouch.

The position of a weight pouch at the lower left and right ends of an air cell or bladder in a vertical or neutral position is shown in FIG. 8 for a modified embodiment 30.

Having thus disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention, it will now be understood that the principal feature hereof may be provided in various alternative configurations which may not have the precise geometry or relative size of the illustrated embodiments. Therefore, the scope hereof is to be limited only by the appended claims and their equivalents. 

1. A buoyancy compensating device with an integrated weight system comprising weights in pouches that are attached to an air cell for gravity-induced movement relative to a diver.
 2. The buoyancy compensating device recited in claim 1 wherein the weight system reacts passively to gravity to dynamically change the position of the weights as the diver changes attitude.
 3. The buoyancy compensating device recited in claim 1 wherein the gravity-induced movement of the weights changes the center of gravity of the buoyancy compensating device favorably with respect to the desired underwater or surface attitude of the diver.
 4. A buoyancy compensating device comprising an air cell having a lower end to which at least one weight-containing pouch is integrally affixed for limited movement depending the orientation of the buoyancy compensating device, said movement altering the center of gravity of the buoyancy compensating device.
 5. The buoyancy compensating device recited in claim 4 wherein said movement of said at least one weight-containing pouch is transversely along the hips of a diver wearing said buoyancy compensating device. 